Spinach Caesar Salad
Michael Ruhlman lamented about The Shame of the Chicken Caesar a few months ago and while spinach Caesar salads are not quite as popular, they do fall into the Overdone Variations of Caesar Salad category. Still, I think they’re delicious. I usually use whole romaine leaves and make a very garlicy dressing when making Caesar salad, but I made this mellower spinach version a couple of months ago and loved it:
Ingredients:
1 egg
3 anchovy fillets in olive oil, drained and finely minced
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
5 tablespoons olive oil
10 ounces grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
1/2 baguette, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 teaspoon paprika
7 cups baby spinach
1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Add the egg and cook for 5 minutes, until soft-boiled. Remove the egg crack it into a bowl, scooping out all of the egg yolk and white. Add the anchovies, lemon juice, mustard and half of the garlic and whisk, adding 3 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add 1/3 of the Parmesan and season with salt and pepper.
2. In a large bowl, toss the baguette cubes with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add another 1/3 of the Parmesan along with the paprika and minced garlic and toss to coat. Spread the bread cubes on a baking sheet and toast for 8 minutes, until crisp and golden. Let cool slightly. In the same large bowl, toss the spinach with the dressing, croutons and the remaining Parmesan; season with salt and pepper.